Acme

• ACME (fitting or company)
• acme (fitting)

From acme (“highest, best”). As a threading, from the original 1894 manufacturer, the Acme Screw Machine Company of Hartford, Connecticut. In its use as a generic company for comedic effect or to avoid trademark issues, most popularized by the Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes cartoons but already very commonly used by 20th century American companies as a way to lead the professional listings in yellow page phone books.

• IPA^(key): /ˈækmi/

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Acme

1. (fiction) A generic or monopoly company.
   • 1968 July, Stan Dryer, “The Fully Automated Love Life of Henry Keanridge”, in Playboy Magazine, page 152:

     Henry knew better than to alienate one of the Acme secretaries.

   • 2012 September 29, Adam Felber, Wait, Wait... Don’t Tell Me!, National Public Radio

     [ Netanyahu ] showed everybody how close Iran was to getting nuclear weapons by having this spherical cartoon bomb with a wick coming up like Acme style. I was watching this thing thinking, are we worried about Ahmadinejad or are we worried about Inspector Clouseau?

2. A village in Kneehill County, Alberta, Canada.
3. A number of places in the United States:
   1. An unincorporated community in Hamilton Township, Jackson County, Indiana.
   2. An unincorporated community in Dickinson County, Kansas.
   3. An unincorporated community in Concordia Parish, Louisiana.
   4. An unincorporated community in Columbus County, North Carolina.
   5. An unincorporated community in Westmoreland County and Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
   6. A ghost town in Oklahoma.
   7. A ghost town in Texas.
   8. A census-designated place in Washington.
   9. An unincorporated community in Kanawha County, West Virginia.

Acme (uncountable)

1. A 29° trapezoidal threading used for various fittings and adapters.

• acme nut
• acme screw

• ASME B1.5-1997: Acme Screw Threads. 6 Dec. 1999.

• ECMA, EMAC, Mace, Mače, came, eMac, mace